"Amazing" New Teams, New Night by Gina Serpe Jul 17, 2006, 6:35 AM PT back to story

The Race is on...a little bit earlier.

CBS has unveiled the identities of the 12 teams that will compete in the globe-trotting 10th edition of The Amazing Race and vie for the $1 million grand prize.

The network also said the three-time Emmy-winning reality contest, which will go for its fourth consecutive statuette Aug. 27 after locking up another nomination earlier this month, will move to a new night and earlier time slot this fall, a tactic designed to underscore its family-friendly content. The show will air Sundays at 8 p.m., as opposed to Tuesdays at 9.

The new roster of competitors will represent the show's most diverse yet. Joining the college cheerleaders, male models and Miss USA pageant contestants, will be Asian-American brothers, a married Indian-American couple, Islamic best friends, a gay couple and a female Iron Man triathlon winner with a prosthetic leg. Also among the 12 two-person teams, one set of competitors from last season.

"I really believe we've never really had such a broad spectrum of people," host Phil Keoghan said at the Television Critics Association Saturday. "We've, I think, always had a diverse cast, but this particular cast is the whole gamut. It's really exciting to see them all at the starting line."

The season kicks off in a familiar locale, with the teams beginning their journey in Seattle's Gas Works Park, the same spot the third season ended in 2002.

From there, they take off on a 28-day journey, logging an estimated 40,000 miles over four continents.

The Amazing Race" producers on Seattle: 'Teams must now get the hell outta here.' With minor spoilers...A number of people probably saw contestants and crew for "The Amazing Race" running around Seattle on Memorial Day weekend, but thanks to Amy Rolph's great story, now you know who the 12 teams are.

What you may not know is why "Amazing Race" executive producer Bertram van Munster decided to return to Seattle to start the race. (The third raced ended in the Emerald City in 2002.)

Talking to reporters a few days ago, van Munster said he wanted to go West this time instead of flying East, as teams have done in the past.

After the panel, I asked him why. "If you go West, they have some assumptions of what they're going to do," he told me. "They assume, oh, we're probably going to Europe...They end up trying to figure out what the challenges could be and we have always thrown them for a curve. They have never figured out what countries they're going to or what they're going to do."

When mapping out the sequence of destinations, van Munster said, "I just look at the logic of airplanes and where we need to go and will it take them in that direction," he said. "I picked Seattle because I wanted to fly westbound, and Seattle has flights into China. So that had a lot to do with it.

"Seattle is great," he added. "First of all, it's very open city, which makes it easy to work, and it's a little city."

Which would make it easy for teams to get around, right? Sure. If producers intended them to stay.

One of the first challenges will be at the typical Seattle traveler's least favorite places: SeaTac International Airport.

"The airport is so overcrowded in Seattle because of 9/11. You've gotta go through this zig-zag routine of ropes, which I find interesting," van Munster said. "Because all of a sudden, you're five ropes ahead of me. It's nerve-wracking to stand in these lines as it is -- nobody wants to stand in these lines -- but if you're in a race!" He shook his head. "I hope that one of these days they can clear that up."

Keoghan, meanwhile, skipped the compliments and went straight to the logic. "The city that we choose for the start city is the stepping point for going somewhere else. We want to get them on a plane, and we want to get them traveling as fast as possible.

Fourth 'Amazing Race' set to beginJul. 17, 2006 at 9:32PM When the fourth season of the hit TV show "The Amazing Race" officially begins in Seattle next month, it will feature its most diverse contestant pool yet.

Fourth 'Amazing Race' set to beginJul. 17, 2006 at 9:32PM When the fourth season of the hit TV show "The Amazing Race" officially begins in Seattle next month, it will feature its most diverse contestant pool yet.

BERTRAM VAN MUNSTER(Executive Producer, Director and Co-Creator, THE AMAZING RACE 10)Bertram van Munster has carved out a very special place for himself in global television. He possesses a very imaginative and daring spirit for creating high quality, unique and even rarified cinema verite-style reality television. In September 2005 Bertram, with producer Jerry Bruckheimer, his distinguished partner of six years, earned his third consecutive top reality television Emmy Award (Outstanding Reality Competition Program, 2002, 2003, 2004) for the THE AMAZING RACE, on the Network.Bertram and his partner, Co-Creator/Co-Executive Producer Elise Doganieri, won the much-coveted 2005 Producers Guild of America (PGA) award for Non-Fiction Television for THE AMAZING RACE and also took home a Family Friendly Award in 2005. Bertram was honored with a Best Director Award nomination this year from the Directors Guild of America, in addition to receiving top award nominations from both the PGA and the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD Award).In early 2003, Bertram created and was the executive producer of the critically acclaimed ABC reality series "Profiles from the Front Line," which put a human face on the war on terrorism by profiling the incredibly brave men and women in the armed forces who are engaged in battling the enemy.Bertram was also the creator and executive producer of "Wild Things," the hit syndicated adventure series from Paramount Domestic Television, which premiered in 1997 and ran for three consecutive championship seasons. In order to create some 80 hours of "Wild Things," Bertram and his crews traversed some of the world's most inaccessible and inhospitable regions -- from Africa to Alaska -- in search of compelling, reality-style stories.Prior to his association with Paramount, Bertram most notably served as producer on more than 300 half-hour episodes and three one-hour specials of Fox Broadcasting's long-running prime time series "Cops." During Bertram's tenure, the series received four Emmy Award nominations and was honored with a Television Critics Award. He also served as a consultant on a special Fox sweeps edition of "X-Files" meets "Cops."Born and raised in Holland, Bertram first worked as an apprentice cameraman for Fox Movietone News. Later, he became a much sought after director-cinematographer on high-end commercials with his Amsterdam-based company, Film Group One, which was regarded as the premiere European production house by the world's top ad agencies.Earthview maintains satellite offices throughout the globe, including Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Nairobi, Kenya; Johannesburg, South Africa; New Delhi, India, and Bangkok, Thailand.He makes his home with his wife, Elise, in Los Angeles.* * *July 2006JONATHAN LITTMAN(Executive Producer, THE AMAZING RACE)Jonathan Littman began his career in entertainment on Broadway, working as both a stage manager and casting director while still in college. After college, Littman moved from theater to television, starting at ABC in Children’s and Late Night Programming, which led to his first producing job as a segment producer for “Day’s End,” a late night news show that followed “Nightline.”After moving to California in 1989, Littman joined NBC as Director of Daytime Programs. He left two years later to join the still fledgling FOX network, and spent the next six years working in both current programming and drama development, where he was involved in the development and day-to-day management of “Beverly Hills, 90210,” “Melrose Place” and “The X-Files.”In 1997, Littman left FOX to create and run a television division for film producer Jerry Bruckheimer. As President of Jerry Bruckheimer Television (JBTV), Littman has been responsible for the development and production of all Bruckheimer series which include “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” “CSI: Miami,” “CSI: NY,” “Cold Case,” “Close To Home,” “Without a Trace” and the Emmy Award-winning series “The Amazing Race,” all on CBS. Littman serves as an executive producer on all the series.He was born in New Jersey and lives in Los Angeles.THE AMAZING RACE 10PHIL KEOGHAN(Host, THE AMAZING RACE 10)Phil Keoghan has worked all over the world as a cameraman, producer and host. Since the age of 19, he has hosted more than 1,000 program episodes, including his own internationally-distributed series, "Keoghan's Heroes," which profiled famous thrill seekers around the world.Keoghan got his big break in front of the camera, hosting the series "Spot On," when he auditioned while on an apprentice program in cinematography. Since then, he has co-created and co-produced the primetime cable series "Phil Keoghan's Adventure Crazy," which was one of the highest-rated series on the Travel Channel in the United States. His additional television credits include "Go for It," an extreme sports show, "Fox After Breakfast," a morning show, and "The 1998 Film Festival Awards." In 1999, he co-hosted the primetime CBS special "Surprise, Surprise."Keoghan was also executive-producer and host of the Discovery Channel series "No Opportunity Wasted," which gave people from all over the United States the chance to live their dreams on national television. Keoghan's book of the same name, published by Rodale, is a fresh and compelling self-improvement and adventure book that inspires readers to "dream more freely and live more fully."Originally from New Zealand, Keoghan lives with his wife and daughter in Los Angeles. His birth date is May 31.* * *

"You don't need to be, you know, an expert in ancient history or something to figure this out. You just need to know what lipstick Madonna was wearing the other night on 'Entertainment Tonight.'

For me, that's above and beyond the call of duty. But seriously? As I understand the concept, it's very clever, almost brilliant in a Machiavellian sort of way. Instead of attracting viewers to a certain time slot (by making good programs), you can use a contest to "steer" them to a show. Networks can move "eyes" towards an ailing program or (worse yet) direct viewers attention to the ads and product placements in a particular show (in which case the show content becomes almost irrelevant).

AOL AND MARK BURNETT PRODUCTIONS PARTNER WITH THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK TO BRING GOLD RUSH - THE GROUNDBREAKING ONLINE REALITY GAME - TO LIFE

Real-life Treasure Seekers To Find Over $2 Million in Gold Using Clues Found in CBS Fall Premieres and Commercials

NEW YORK, May 17, 2006 –In a groundbreaking online, offline and on-air partnership, Emmy Award-winners AOL and Mark Burnett announce a unique partnership with CBS, America’s #1 television network, to bring the online reality game GOLD RUSH to life.

GOLD RUSH begins as thirteen armored trucks laden with gold head off into the darkness, their caches are about to be hidden somewhere in America. Twelve of these trucks contain $100,000 in solid gold and the thirteenth, $1 million dollars in solid gold. Together, over $2 million in solid gold is up for grabs.

But this is not a television show; this is a real-life cross platform media event where each week new clues will be found within CBS television programs, sponsor commercials, AOL.com and other media properties. After identifying and combining the clues, real-life treasure seekers will embark on a race to find the gold, resulting in a national treasure hunt.

"GOLD RUSH is a massive cross platform reality event,” says Mark Burnett. “Unlike reality TV shows, where 16 hopefuls can take part to win, GOLD RUSH will allow potentially millions of players to look for the gold in mediums which are omnipresent, such as the Internet, radio, network television and print magazines. It is a game-changer in the way that the first Survivor changed the game.”

“The combination of the reach of AOL.com, our next-generation free broadband portal, with CBS, the # 1 TV network, and the talent of Mark Burnett will make GOLD RUSH a landmark interactive event not to be missed,” says Kevin Conroy, Executive Vice President, AOL.

CBS, the exclusive broadcast partner, will work collaboratively with GOLD RUSH producers to promote the network’s new Fall lineup by integrating aspects of CBS programs and advertising into the game. At the same time the companies will work together to develop online, offline and on-air marketing and cross-promotional activities.

“We are thrilled that CBS will be the broadcast home of GOLD RUSH, which is sure to be this season’s most innovative integrated marketing event,” said George Schweitzer, President, the CBS Marketing Group. “We believe this partnership will excite our viewers while also attracting new treasure-seeking players who tune into our fall premieres, like what they see and come back for more.”

GOLD RUSH, available through the free AOL.com portal, will give players the opportunity to find gold treasure. CBS Television will be deeply integrated into the GOLD RUSH challenges enriching the game experience by engaging casual players, pop culture junkies, and truly devoted treasure seekers through an integrated web of challenges and entertainment.

CBS today announced plans for a powerfully packaged premiere week, featuring new season launches for 20 of its 22 prime time series during the week of Sept. 18. The Network will jump start the season with early premieres of its Emmy Award-winning reality series SURVIVOR: COOK ISLANDS, which will debut Thursday, Sept. 14 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT), and THE AMAZING RACE 10, which will open with a special 90-minute broadcast on Sunday, Sept. 17 (8:30-10:00 PM, ET/PT). CBS's Sunday lineup returns on Sept. 24 with the 39th season premiere of the longest-running and top-rated newsmagazine 60 MINUTES (7:00-8:00 PM, ET/PT), the time period premiere of THE AMAZING RACE 10 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT), the fourth season premiere of COLD CASE in its new time period (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) and the fifth season debut of WITHOUT A TRACE, also making its new time period premiere (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT).

As summer drifts away, many of the biggest changes coming to reality shows are simple timeslot switches. CBS's “The Amazing Race” is returning for a 10th season, and after moving timeslots twice last season, will now air on Sundays at 8 p.m. ET, opposite ABC’s solid “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” Racers this year include the first Indian-American team, the first Islamic team, and a racer with an artificial leg. This year, the race will head to places it’s never been before, just as Ty Pennington and crew will travel around in search of new families to help with their Craftsmen tools.

picked this up from tarflies ( I cant track down the article on - line )

From this week's Entertainment Weekly fall TV preview issue:

Four continents, 13 countries, a lesbian and her father, an amputee, and $1 million... It's either the setup to a very bad joke or the partial lineup for the 10th Amazing Race. Executive producer Bertram van Munster says, "It's meltdown city on this whole trip." Host Phil Keoghan is more blunt. "There's a pain-in-the-ass team this year." Wait. Isn't there one every year? "One of the [new] things this season is that there's a strong alliance," says Keoghan. "Some teams decided to work together as a group." Uh-oh. Sounds like Big Brother With Plane Tickets to us.

TRACK: THIS SEASONS AMAZING RACE IS A COLLISION COURSE IN CULTURE, ATTITUDE ANDOPPORTUNITY…..WHERE ELSE WOULD YOU FIND BEAUTY QUEENS BATTLING MUSLIMS,..CHEERLEADERS TAKING ON A COAL MINER AND ONE COUPLE WHO ARE TAKING ON ONETOUGH OPPONENT INDEED…A MAJOR HANDICAP...,..BUT THE COLLECTION OF RACERS THISYEAR ONE WORD…UNIQUE.

VIPUL & ARTI SAY OC: WERE VERY UNIQUE IN THE SENSE THAT WERE THE FIRST INDIANCOUPLE TO EVER BE ON THE AMAZING RACE. WE LOVE OUR FAMILY BACKGROUND OR CULTURAL BACKGROUND SO I THINK WE CAN USE THATAS AN ADVANTAGE.

BLACK DEBUTANTS SAYS OC: WE'VE BEEN WATCHING THIS SHOW AND ITS ENOUGH TALKINGTO TO THE TV SAYING GO GIRL GO GO

TOM & TERRY SAYS OC: ::19 THE LENGTHS WE WILL GO TO KILL CRUSH DESTROY WHATEVER WE HAVE TO DO LIE CHEAT AND STEAL

COAL MINERS SAY OC: PEOPLE ARE GOING TO UNDERESTIMATE US..HE IS A COAL MINER HEIS A LITTLE GUY NOBODY WILL THINK HE CAN HANG WITH THE BIG BUFF BOYS HERE

Nat sound cheering

CHEERLEADERS SAYS WERE CHEERLEADERS AT HEART WE'RE ALWAYS GONNA BE… I'M GOINGTO BE KELLIE'S PERSONAL CHEERLEADER AND SHE'S GONNA BE MINE, AND WE'RE GONNACHEER ON OTHER TEAMS LIKE COME ON YOU CAN DO IT! CU THAT'S JUST OURPERSONALITY. AND WE LOVE TO DANCE, YOU'LL PROBABLY SEE US DANCING AROUND.

ROBERT & KIMBERLY SAY I.D MUCH RATHER FIND OUT IF THIS IS THE WOMAN I WANT TOSPEND THE REST OF MY LIFE WITH THAN WIN THE MILLION DOLLARS

KIMBERLY SAYS OC: YEH

ROBERT SAYS OC: THAT'S WAY MORE IMPORTANT TO ME

KIMBERLY SAYS OC: ALTHOUGH HE WOULD REALLY GOOD AS A MILLIONAIRE

TRACK: DUKE AND HIS DAUGHTER LAUREN ARE MENDING FENCES.

Duke & Lauren says oc: 07:26:22 when I found out that Lauren was a lesbian Ijust kind of curled up in a ball and started crying

Duke and Lauren 07:28:56 BUT I think being in this race is really going to putus together again

TRACK: THESE BEAUTY QUEENS ARE DETERMINED

15:06 DUSTIN: THE STEREOTYPE OF A PAGEANT GIRL IS THE ONLY ANSWER SHE KNOWS IS"WORLD PEACE." AND WE ARE SO MUCH MORE THAN WORLD PEACE. AND WE KNOW IF THAT'SWHAT THEY THINK LET THEM THINK THAT!

15:19 KANDACE: BUT WE DO BELIEVE IN WORLD PEACE! DON'T LET ANYBODY TELL YOUDIFFERENTLY!

TRACK: WELL..THESE MUSLIM FRIENDS FROM CLEVELAND CERTAINLY HOPE SO

MUSLIMS SAY OC: 03:27:43 YOU KNOW ISLAM..IF PRACTICED CORRECTLY…..IT'S ARELIGION OF PEACE..US GOING ON THE SHOW I FEEL THAT IT'S A POSSIBILITY THAT WECOULD CLOSE THE STEREOTYPE WE COULD OPEN UP THE DOOR OF LOVE.

TRACK: WHILE THESE TEAMS HAVE BEEN FACING CHALLENGES ALL THEIR LIVES.

JAMES & TYLER SAYS 07:14:53J- WE USED TO BE DRUG ADDICTS.. WE HAVE BEEN SOBERFOR 7-8 YEARS BUT FOR THE MOST PART OF THE PEOPLE LOOK AT US AS PRETTY BOYMODELS

Sarah & Peter say 05:06:44 MY PARENTS TOLD ME I HAD TO HAVE MY LEG AMPUTATED ITWAS DEVASTATING IM 31 NOW MOST OF MY LIFE ALL OF MY LIFE IVE BEEN DEALING WITHTHAT CHALLENGE.

TRACK: FOR THESE BROTHERS … IT'S A CHO DOWN 08:24:03

CHO BROTHERS Both: VOTE FOR CHO!

IRWIN AND GODWIN SAY OC: 08:14:11I- I LIKE TO COMPARE US TO M&M'S WEREDIFFERENT COLORS ON THE OUTSIDE BUT AT OUR CORE..IN TERMS OF OUR PHILOSOPHYABOUT LIFE..WERE THE SAME.

Now broadcasting on a new night, this epic Emmy Winning Reality classic is onceagain pulling out all the stops as 12 teams race around the world for a chanceto win one million dollars…

YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE THE COLLECTION OF COMPETITORS THAT WILL BE COMPETING THISFALL! FROM CHEERLEADERS TO BEAUTY QUEENS TO PRACTICING MUSLIMS TO CAL MINERS.WE’VE GOT A WIDE VARIETY OF ENTERTAINING CHARACTERS READY TO RUN AROUND THEWORLD. OUR 60-MINUTE EPK FEATURES A NEWS PACKAGE PLUS INTERVIEWS AND B-ROLLWITH ALL THE TEAMS